A large waistline can double the risk of premature death even in people who are not ‘officially’ overweight, an alarming study has found.

Researchers concluded that waist measurement is a much better indicator of a person’s lifespan than the traditional ‘body mass index’ score used by the Government.

This divides people into obese, overweight and normal weight.

The disclosure means doctors could be missing vital chances to save people’s lives because they are looking at the wrong measurements.

The study, which involved more than 350,000 people from nine European countries, found that even those judged to be a healthy weight under the BMI could be at risk of heart attack or stroke if they had too much waistline fat.

It found that every inch added on the waist increases a man’s chance of dying early by 9 per cent and women’s by 7 per cent, no matter how thin the person is in the first place.

The research found that among people with similar BMIs, people with large waists had roughly double the risk of a premature death as those whose waists were defined as small.

A large waist was defined as 47 inches in men and 39 inches in women, while a small waist was 32 and 26 inches in men and women respectively.

In Britain, the average waist size is 38 inches in men and 33.5 inches in women.

Professor Edlio Riboli of London’s Imperial College, and coordinator of the study, said: ‘Although smaller studies have suggested a link between mortality and waist size, we were surprised to see the waist size having such a powerful effect on people’s health and premature death.

‘Our study shows that accumulating excess fat around your middle can put your health at risk even if your weight is normal based on BMI scores. There aren’t many simple individual characteristics that can increase a person’s risk of premature death to this extent, independently from smoking and drinking.’

Doctors have traditionally used the BMI, a measurement of the ratio between a person’s height and weight, to test a person’s risk of health complications.

A BMI of between 18.5 and 25 indicates that someone has a healthy weight. If their score is above 25 they are overweight, and if they are above 30 they are obese.

In Britain, the average person is now overweight according to the BMI, with an average score of 25.4.

But the BMI has come in for criticism because a super-fit athlete can come out as overweight or obese even though their high weight is accounted for by muscle and not fat.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, also found that measuring the ratio between the sizes of the waist and the hip is a better measure of health than the BMI.

Lower waist-hip ratios indicate the waist is comparatively small in relation to the hips.

In Europe, this ratio ranges from 0.78 to 1.1 in men and from 0.66 to 0.98 in women.

But each 0.1 increase in the ratio equates to a 34 per cent higher mortality risk of early death in men, and 24 per cent in women.

To measure the waist, doctors suggest people should measure around their body around four centimetres (1.5 inches) above their belly button.

Professor Riboli said: ‘The good news is that you don’t need to take an expensive test and wait ages for the result to assess this aspect of your health – it costs virtually nothing to measure your waist and hip size.

‘Doctors and nurses can easily identify people who need to take certain steps to improve their health by routinely monitoring these measurements.

‘If you have a large waist, you probably need to increase the amount of exercise you do every day, avoid excessive alcohol consumption and improve your diet. This could make a huge difference in reducing your risk of an early death.’

The participants in the study, aged 25 to 70, were monitored for an average of 10 years. During this time, a total of 14,723 died.

The study authors said sedentary lifestyles, poor diet and genetic predisposition caused the expansion of the waistline.

Dr Tobias Pischon, lead author of the paper from the German Institute of Human Nutrition, said: ‘The most important result of our study is the finding that not just being overweight, but also the distribution of body fat, affects the risk of premature death of each individual.

‘Abdominal fat is not only a mere energy depot, but it also releases messenger substances that can contribute to the development of chronic diseases. This may be the reason for the link.’

Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum said: ‘This underlines the fact that waist measurement is what doctors should be using with their patients, rather than the BMI. The BMI should really only be used with children.

‘But people need to know where their waist is – if you go up and down each time you’re not comparing like with like. They need to measure about 4cm up from their belly button.’

On Tuesday another study showed the arteries of obese children were as bad as would be expected in people aged 45 – meaning that they should be treated as being at the same risk of heart attack as middle-aged people.

Source: dailymail

Jelly Belly. Love Handles. Dunlap Disease. Whatever you want to call it, the excess fat around your midsection that wiggles and jiggles in all the wrong places is not pretty. Fat belly is not just unattractive, it can be dangerous to your health. That Extra fat carried throughout your abdomen can increase your risk of heart disease. With so many pills, potions and programs pooring the weight loss industry today, many consumers are left feeling just plain confused about how to effectively lose belly fat.

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The first thing you must know about how to effectively lose belly fat is that there is no magic bullet when it comes to weight loss. Reducing body fat levels requires a three pronged approach that doesn’t appear based on information from popping diet pills or gulping down foul tasting drinks. Belly fat also won’t come off by trying to spot reduce only working at sit-ups or crunches. It’s just not possible to spot reduce, so do not waste your time.

So, the question remains, how do you effectively lose belly fat? Here is a safe, sensible three pronged approach to get rid of belly fat.

1. Healthy Meals. Notice the word diet isn’t part of the equation. That is because the word diet conjures up visions of carrots and celery and not much else. The word diet gives us nightmares of deprivation and hunger, and that’s not the image we’re looking for with permanent weight loss. Just because the word diet isn’t used does not mean you are free to gorge on junk food at will. Healthy meals consist of lean protein, lots of vegetables, whole grains and some fruit. You must consistantly choose foods which are as close as possible to their natural state.

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2. Cardiovascular Exercise. Regular cardiovascular exercise will decreases body fat levels. Where should you start? Wallking is great cardio! Put your shoes on and get moving for at least 30 minutes per day. It does not matter how fast or how far you walk in the beginning, the most important point is that you are moving your body aerobically on a regular basis. If you do not enjoy walking try these options: riding a bike, rollerskate, jog, run. Participate in at all aerobic activity you enjoy.

3. Lift Weights. Yes, you did see that correctly! If you’re wondering what lifting weights has to do with effectively lose belly fat, then read on. Regular weight lifting has several beneficial effects for those people trying to lose their belly fat levels. Muscles burn extra calories. The more muscle you carry on your frame, the more calories you burn in a 24 hour period which translates to surplus fat burning power. Muscles take up about one third less space than fat. Muscles give you the power to carry on your daily activities more effectively and with energy to spare.

Learning how to effectively lose belly fat certainly isn’t a difficult task. The three principle keys to getting rid of your gut rely on diet, cardiovascular exercise and weight lifting on a regular basis. Remember, you did not sprout belly fat overnight and you can’t get rid of belly fat in a day, but you can reduce belly fat if you’re willing to put forth a bit of
effort.   Visit The Health – Fitness & Nutrition Store

It is in addition believed that a fat belly can develop due to increased stress. During stress, the hormone cortisol is made in ample quantities. This in turn swells the storage of fat in the belly. Hence a loss in nervousness is also an essential contributing ingredient to weight decrease around the belly.

If you are prone to adding fat to your belly, next watch your calorie intake amid that of your needs. This prevents weight gain and hence you will be less prone to belly fat.
If you at this moment have a fat belly, start on a healthy weight loss program, which includes a balanced diet meeting your needs, an exercise routine to be rigorously followed and of course reduce your stress levels.

Try eating a fiber rich food which will come down you hunger pangs. Make knowledgeable choices when choosing your lose pound strategy. Read books on diets and then take a wise decision. Above all have a strong commitment to stick to your program due to the fact that fat in the belly does not reduce overnight, no matter who shows you this. Keep on trying on a daily motive and over long time you will surely see results.

• Heart disease

• Cancer (especially breast and colon cancer)

• Type 2 diabetes

• High blood pressure

• And a host of funny things problems

When someone puts on weight and is getting a fat belly it appears all the fat is making deposited directly under the skin but this isn’t true, in fact a protruding belly is usually the result of fat stored deep inside that gets packed around the organs and pushes the belly out.

This type of fat is called visceral (a Latin word that pertains to internal organs) or intra-abdominal fat and it is the most dangerous to your health for two reasons:

First, it is “metabolically active” fat, why this should concern you is because this kind more easily releases fat into your bloodstream, which leads to higher cholesterol market value and artery disease.

Second, some belly fat cells produce hormones that can promote insulin resistance, a precursor to Type 2 Diabetes. Others can produce estrogen ensuing a woman reaches menopause, which may increase her chance of breast cancer.

Research is coming out with article after report that reveals the dangers of getting a fat belly. Many factors contribute to taking out a fat belly the as heredity, hormonal changes and age-related weight appreciate but regardless of the cause, belly fat is wiped out in significantly the same compose as fat found elsewhere on the body and that means ideally diet and exercise.

Are you turning out a fat belly but invested in trouble sticking with a diet and exercise regulations long a sufficient amount of to see results?